What's the straight man's problem?

As a woman, I can only guess at the above question, for the answer may not be as simple as one may think.

For example, everyone knows that many men strive to be as buff and strong and masculine as possible, but I can attest that women quite often go for men who do not possess these qualities, in fact, they go for the opposite. Why do you think Will & Grace was such a hit among women? Who hasn't had the hots for the gay guy? And even when the sexual preference of these men comes to light for the unfortunate woman, they often find themselves wishing for a straight partner who possesses similiar qualities.

I guess I must beg the question, why are men afraid to be metrosexuals? Even when asked in class if the men considered themselves "metros", the men distanced themselves from the name. It was almost like asking women if they're feminists.

The term, though now overspoken and admittedly dorky, holds a very novel idea: men can be "manly" while looking great and, perhaps, allowing themselves to be sensitive. Are straight men afraid that this takes away from their overall masculinity? Are they worried about being considered gay? If this is the case, they need only look around to see that the women don't mind a nice pair of tailored pants on a man one bit. Still, I think all of this points to something deeper about men and how they are taught to behave.

In a world where many men have trouble admitting that they sometimes have a taste for clothing outside of workout sweats and old jeans, no wonder so many gay men are afraid of coming out. This unwillingness to admit to any other gender except for the extreme heterosexual male is disturbing and makes me think twice about how far we've come as a society that can accept many different genders and sexualities. How can we expect to move forward if men are even afraid of dressing well?

To the scared and straight men of the world, I leave you with this: Every girls crazy 'bout a sharp-dressed man.